Monday, June 23

A Tale of a Normal Mama who felt like a Princess

Once upon a time, in a faraway land (Philly is pretty far from Disney), there lived a very normal Mama.

She worked, cooked and cleaned all day, and there was little time for play!

Some days she felt like "you know who", but without the wicked stepmother...phew! (her mother is actually the most wonderful mother ever).

One day, this Mama got an email from Disney Social Media Moms. It wasn't an invitation to the royal ball, but an invitation to a FUN and coveted event, the Disney Social Media Moms On the Road Tour (going on in 3 U.S. cities).

She immediately smiled and had to read the invitation a few times to really believe it!

On the day of the event, Mama was bubbling with anticipation, along with all the other mamas (and a few daddies too) in the kingdom!

The mamas enjoyed a wonderful feast and tasty treats at this festive celebration.

Jamie brought out a special guest, the honorable Mickey Mouse of course! (And I wish I snapped a photo of Maria in action too)!

The royal tables were decked out with different Disney decorations. Snow White was even in attendance at this royal event! ;)

Mama learned some great tidbits about blogging, social media, and balancing her very busy life!

1. If you're at the Disney Parks and want to attend special events, make sure to check the DisneyParks Blog for fun meetups that highlight special events at the park.2. The awesome PR team at Disney uses Google Docs for managing all their documents. Hey, that sounds like a very "normal" thing to do, and very useful for us Normal Mamas!3. In order to take better photos with my phone, I need to try out a Smart Phone Camera Lens Kit. I didn't even know this existed until Victoria Lim gave us some GREAT tips! 4. A blogger at the table also had this Liptick-Sized Portable Charger that can be used to charge a phone WITHOUT needing to plug it into the wall. Eureka!5. Finally, there were so many useful "balancing it all" tips. I learned that other mamas have trouble doing it too! Some of my favorite quotes? "Be 100% in the space your'e in. Be at work at work. Be truly with kids when you're with them" - The Mojo Coach. "When you're with your kids, look at the whites of their eyes when they speak to you" - Maria Bailey.

When the bell struck 12:30pm, this Mama knew that her time at the event had come to a close. However, instead of glass slipper, she was grateful to take home:

This awesome Seven Dwarfs pin (everyone got a different pin), which references Disney's new ride, the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train. You can even enter to "be the 8th miner" here! http://bethe8thminer.com/

This magical creation from HP. It was a pack of photo cards to print photos, cards and GIFT CARDS at HOME. Ever forget a big event and need a card QUICK? Well, printing cards at home would sure make life easy! Definitely check out HP TwoSmiles!

Every mama got a pack of these cards with a photo showing their #DisneySide on it (mine was a photo of Little Guy eating his food allergy friendly mickey pancakes).

And also a bag full of kid, mom and family-friendly goodies!

And what was the best part of this royal Disney celebration?

Normal Mama felt a little like a princess that day, took a break from her daily work, and fully enjoyed the Disney magic.

Thank you to all the Disney Social Media Moms planners, sponsors and participants. This Mama surely feels grateful to be a part of the Disney magic!